Pyrotechnical fuses are well known in automotive technology. In particular, European Patent Application EP 0 665 566 A1 discloses an electrical safety switch which can be actuated using pyrotechnical means. The safety switch is actuated in such a manner that a propelling charge acts on a movably arranged contact portion and, owing to the movement of the contact portion, it is moved out of engagement with another contact portion in order to interrupt the electrical path. In the solution set out in this example, a piston is always guided in a sleeve. The piston is driven out of the sleeve by a pyrotechnical propelling means. The safety switch described is complex in terms of production and consequently cost-intensive.
From the German Utility Model DE 203 17 189 U1, there is also known an electrical safety switch which can be actuated in a pyrotechnical manner. In this switch, an electrical member has a predetermined separation region which can be separated into two conductor portions. It is proposed that the desired separation region has a hollow space in which the pyrotechnical igniter is fitted. During ignition, the predetermined separation region is separated by means of the pyrotechnical igniter.
From U.S. Pat. No. 7,511,600 B2, there is known an electrical safety switch which can be separated by means of a pyrotechnical separation unit. In this safety switch, a piston is accelerated onto a predetermined breaking location in such a manner that the piston breaks through the predetermined breaking location.
All the electrical safety switches described above are structurally complex to produce. Furthermore, the use of material is high so that the costs of such a safety switch are high.
For this reason, the object of the subject-matter is to provide a circuit breaker for motor vehicle power lines which is structurally simple in terms of production and which can be produced with little material usage.